Shimmy your shamrock at St. Pat's parties

Macomb Daily staff photo by David Dalton
Anthony Jekielek, owner of the Vintage House in Fraser, shows off a platter of corned beef and cabbage in preparation for the St. Patrick’s Day party there on Sunday. The Vintage House staff started serving corned beef earlier this week to get into the spirit of St. Paddy’s Day.

It started as a religious celebration to honor the memory of St. Patrick. Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Because the holiday fell in the Christian season of Lent, prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast.

Even more than 1,000 years later, some things haven’t changed. These days, St. Patrick’s Day is one big party, marked with music, green beer, pints of Guinness or shots of Irish whiskey, and corned beef piled high on sandwiches or cooked with cabbage.

Want to get it on the fun?

The truly Irish and those who take on that nationality for a day have their choice of how and where they celebrate on Sunday. There are establishments with Irish names like Mangan’s Irish Hut in Mount Clemens, Duggan’s Irish Pub in Royal Oak, Clancy’s in Clinton Township, Colleen’s Irish Pub in St. Clair Shores, O’Hara’s in Eastpointe, the Shamrock Pub in Utica, and Younger’s Irish Tavern in Romeo.

OK, so maybe it doesn’t sound Irish, but the Vintage House on Utica Road in Fraser puts on one of the biggest St. Pat’s parties around in its 20,000-square-foot banquet space and another 6,000-square-feet in two outdoor heated tents. Shimmy your shamrock there starting at 7 a.m. Sunday with a free breakfast buffet until 10 a.m., and then continue to celebrate until 2 a.m. with live music including Irish and Gaelic bands, deejays, O’Hara’s corned beef, drink specials, and a photo booth. There’s no cover charge until 6 p.m.

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Dooleys’ four locations – Clawson, Mount Clemens, Roseville and Sterling Heights -- also open at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Look for Bernie the Leprechaun (he’s real, you won’t be seeing a little green guy just because you’ve had too much green beer), along with bagpipers, deejay music, corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, Reuben pizzas, giveaways, and heated tents for the overflow crowd at the Sterling Heights and Roseville locations. For party-goers who want to check out more than one Dooleys’ location, free buses will be making the rounds. Check out www.dooleysirish.com for details.

For 37 years, Bill Mangan has been drawing St. Patrick’s Day crowds to his Mangan’s Irish Hut on Groesbeck in Mount Clemens. Suzie Flannery, manager there for 36 years, said some of the St. Patrick’s Day revelers have been coming since the celebrating started for “plenty of fun and entertainment,” including the traditional sing-a-longs. The party starts there at noon, said Flannery, and includes corned beef sandwiches and green beer.

At Colleen’s Irish Pub in St. Clair Shores, the revelry gets under way at 9:30 a.m. and continues until 2:30 a.m. the next day, said co-owner Bob McCaulley. He and partner Colleen O’Connor serve “lots of Guinness,” along with corned beef and Irish stew.

Duggan’s Irish Pub Woodward in Royal Oak has been serving Irish-inspired food all week. They’ll start the official St. Patrick’s Day party there on Saturday during regular hours, but chef Jeff LaPointe said doors will open at 7 a.m. on Sunday. There will be music from 2 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, and the partying will continue until 2 a.m. Monday. LaPointe’s menu includes Guinness Irish lamb stew in bread bowls, corned beef shepherd’s pie, and corned beef and Swiss cheese on onion rolls.

Those who go to the Shamrock Pub in Utica for its famous burgers won’t be disappointed on St. Paddy’s Day. Owner Joe Mayernik said he pares the menu that day to burgers and fries and, of course, corned beef sandwiches. The Shamrock opens at 9 a.m. and patrons can stay inside or head outside to a heated tent for food, piped-in music, bagpipers and anything that’s “cold and wet,” usually Irish beers, according to Mayernik.

“A whole bunch of people become Irish that day,” said Mayernik, who’s operated the Shamrock for 31 years.

And should you become too familiar with the Irish libations, The Vintage House, in cooperation with Metro Motor Coach, is offering free rides home from that party.

That might be the way to go. Having a designated driver, using a limo service or taking a cab is the responsible way to travel if you’ve imbibed a wee bit too much, said Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham.

“We don’t want to discourage celebrations, just be responsible.”

Don’t drive if you’ve had too much to drink, he said, adding that there will be additional staff from his department on the roads on Sunday.